Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-11-24
HISTORIC SHREWS.
Women Who Have Become Famous and
Notorious for ScoldinS.

Some of the shrews have had as en-
during a record in history rs have
some of the beauties, though owing
| their fame to q very opposite quality.
England and France supply the most
prominent specimens.
Royalty first. however. Matbilda.
empress and claimant against King
Stephen for the crown of England, has
left a fair claim to a masterful temper
ament. Queen Elizabeth, great as she
was. exhibits herself in some of her
letters and actions, as when she boxed
the Essexs ears, as right royal
shrew. SO was Catherine de Medlci
So emphatlcally, was Christina, of
Sweden, who caused her chamberlain,
Monaldeschi. in right OF her preroga-
tives, to be strangled in palace of
the king Of France. So was Catherine,
of Russia, snrew. who had abso-
lutte power to back up her shrewish-
ness
In Henry Wits reign Lady More,
wife of the great and good Sir Thomas.
stands out as very definite shrew,
who ruled her husband and children
alike with much austerity. But she
did not, though she liked her own way,
appear, as far as we can see, in any
way to come up to Lady Coke, in
James Is reign. This lady drove her
husband, the terrible chief justice (of
whom James himself said: NAY, mon,
if Coke sends for me l must go''),
nearly frantic. The subject was their
daughters marriage. Lady Coke was
furious, interchangeable, resolute, and 3
most accomplished scold.
Now for French one little known to
English readers in general: This was
Nine. de Vervins, who in the seven
teenth century, was fine specimen OF
the species She told her servants to
kill those of lady whom her lackeys
insulted for venturing to defend their
mistress. She bullied her husband in
cessantly, and on one occasion in
quarrel used her riding-whip as an
argument. She habtually beat her
servants violently. She scolded her
acquaintance for the least difference
of opinion, unfavorable criticism, or
most minute Slight offered to her or
fanced by her, and plotted thel
assassination # they opposed her I'M
perious and arbitrary nature.
who loved to play the shrew in public,
and especially at balls and parties, was
Nine. dOrgeval. She lived in the time
as Nine. de Vervins. Mime. d'OrgevalI
gave great entertainments, but she and
her daughter, according to the French
memoirs, chiefly loved doing insolent
things in polite manner. On all
occasions Nine. d'Orgeval's temper was
furious if any lady danced better OF
oftener than her daughter. In one
instance of this she told the lady who
offended her that if she continued
she would stop the ball. She bullied
her guests with vigor, and demanded
her own way iii everything.
Returning to England our gallery of
portraits must not omit Sarah, first
duchess of Marlborough whose violent
temper made her generally dreaded
She had the good quality of loving her
husband, the famous general, and
thinking him the foremost among men,
BUT to everyone else she would be q
shrew on occasion. Poor Queen Annt
was afraid of her. She bullied her ss
if she were nobody. And in the MS.
room at the British museum much
contemporary light is thrown on this
subject by remarkable letter to be
seen there, written at the time, and
describing an order sent to the duke
and the duchess to give up their
insignia of office without notice, and
telling the latter that she was not to
come to the queen, who, no doubt, was
afraid of her. This was at the time
when her enemies intrigues Qed by
her own cousin, Miss Masham, whom
she had placed at court in her INTEREST,"
were successful.